So a few days ago, I recorded myself speaking Japanese on Hinative (an app where you can ask native speakers questions) and wanted to know how to improve my pronunciation. I’m still a beginner, and I’ve never really practiced speaking before.
The response I got was “とてもいいですね!”.
I know that Japanese people often compliment people for their Japanese even when it’s shitty so I don’t really know what to think.
They did give me advice on how to say one word better though.
This might sound like a stupid question but I’d appreciate serious answers.
(edit: seriously*)
6 comments
Considering what the app is for, I’d like to think the compliments are more genuine than if someone just commented on a foreigner’s Japanese skills when it wasn’t solicited after just one sentence (or worse, a single word). I’m sure you know the type.
It’s this extra effort required to interpret Japanese language evaluation from natives that make some learners feel more accomplished if they can get through a conversation without having their Japanese skills being commented on at all. But that’s more of an “on the fly” conversation, rather than any sort of systematic language exchange.
How long have you been at it? People’s idea of good is also subjective. There’s a difference between easily understood and native sounding. I’m technically a native speaker and people still tell my my pronunciation is sometimes off.
I think the think the best approach is to accept the compliment, but don’t let it go to your head.
Let the compliment encourage you, and motivate you. But don’t let it give you the idea that your pronunciation is perfect. Because there is always room to improve. Plus, if they say good job, they can understand you. And the compliment either comes from a really good pronunciation, or that your speaking is understandable. Both are good in any case
If a compliment is worrying you, accept it, but just ask how can you improve even further. If there’s anything you can do to improve
It’s best to not count on strangers to measure you on a good-bad scale, period. It’s bad for your own progress and it’s also a social faux-pas to force that responsibility on other people; try to not be 承認欲求が強い。
It’s culturally normal for people to encourage each other when they’re doing something challenging. If you’re looking for ulterior motives in that, “But am I *really* good? Is that sarcasm?” then you’re wasting energy thinking about things that aren’t helping you.
Throwing sarcastic shade at random strangers isn’t a popular pastime for Japanese people. (Unless they’re mentally stuck in middle-school.) We Westerners should make a conscious effort to be less on-guard about that.
A 100% honest assessment is a kind of personal advice, so you need a relationship in which it’s appropriate to ask for it. And at the end of the day I’d say that *you* are responsible for answering the “am I not shit yet?” question, so what you’re asking for is actually just input.
As a general rule, I’d say you should give yourself an 80%, no matter what your current level is: 80% satisfied with how far you’ve come, 20% focused on a few concrete things to improve. And once you have a bit of experience, enough to allow you to look back [take this AJATT advice](http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/there-was-a-time-when/) and remember the times when you couldn’t do things that you can do now.
Some of the things I got are
– “(your japanese is) very good” after typing a single word
– (something like) “すごいできる。ハーフなんですか” after basic greeting
– “Incredible” after saying a single sentence.
My output is rudimentary I feel. You can’t trust the reviews. Just wait for the criticisms and corrections.
Off topic but I’m proud of myself for being able to deduce that that entire sentence is completely composed of hiragana. I have no idea which ones are which but I’m getting there. I’ve got the one for no, and hi down